Play With Me: Work [Part 1]

By: Shannon Mallery, Program Assistant Sr. - Mature Adults

 

This week of Play With Me: Ages 6-9 starts the Work series. In the next three installments your little ones will get the chance to do the work that they have always wanted to do, "grown ups" work. Play With Me is a series of interactive and meaningful activities that you can do over technology with the children in your life.

Before getting started, adult assistance will be needed to help collect and setup supplies for the children. Consider sending the supply list ahead of time so the adult can prepare in advance.

For this week it is important to note that they ability level of each child varies. Please only use the items for the activity below that you feel your child can handle safely.

A Day at Work
You may have heard of bring your child to work day, but have you ever had a child work from home day?

Things that are very common place to adults may be very novel and exciting to children. Take office work for example, white-out although mundane to us offers a fun challenge to children. Things like paper clips, tape, labels, file folders, pens and brass tacks are often exclusively part of the "grown ups" world. Believe it or not letting your child fill the stapler will give them entry to the world of "grown ups" which is thrilling to them.

Gather an assortment of office supplies and have your child make a personnel file about themselves. The file should include a personal data sheet with; date, name, age, address, phone number, job title and supervisor. The folder can also have a personal note, expense receipt, document and diagram.

Have your child fill the personal data sheet in with the job they would like to have, where they want to live, who they want their supervisor to be etc..

• Let them fasten each of the papers (personal data sheet, receipt, document) to the file folder with something different, one with staples, one with a paperclip, etc..
• The personal note should be written from your child to their future selves about their "job".
• You should also make a personnel folder about yourself. As you make it tell your child the job you had or wish you had. Tell them what you are writing to your future or past self in your personal note.
• Use the time to talk about what you are putting in your personal files and why.
• You should be able to coach your child through using the office supplies, use only the ones that they can operate without hurting themselves.

Bonus: For extra excitement let your child play with a small lock and key. Ask them what they would lock up and why. Trust me they will love it!

Next week's Play With Me series continues the "work" series! Until then, Stay courageous, Be strong and remember to Play More with DPR!